At some point, each one of us entered a situation where Google Maps remained the only option to look for the correct route and reach the desired destination. However, many times, it turn out to be a blunder as it lead us to uncharted roads or presented routes we never intended to take.
A similar situation unfolded in a hill town of Tamil Nadu where an SUV driver relied on Google Maps for the ‘fastest route’ and ended up stuck on a flight of steps in Gudalur. The incident took place when a man was driving from the Gudalur area of Tamil Nadu.
In Gudalur, he and his friends spent the weekend and were using Google Maps for correct directions on their way back to Karnataka. Gudalur is situated at a tri-junction among Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. It is a popular holiday spot where tourists heading to Ooty often visit.
The friends were guided by Google Maps through the Police Quarters, which the navigation app called the "fastest route". But this route led them to a steep set of stairs in a neighborhood.
The man, unable to drive, stopped the car on the steps and went to get help. The group needed assistance maneuvering the SUV back to the main road so they could return to Karnataka, and locals and police officers came to their aid.
Since being posted on X (formerly Twitter), netizens bombarded the comment section with numerous reactions to the visuals.
One user said, “This has to be fake ! It was possible back in 2007s, now Google got rid of predictive pathways just cuz of this reason. Now, there has to be substantial fast moving traffic data on a given route if its not in Google’s own survey data.”
“Well, TN police and locals had to get those fellows out of trouble by assisting them. Obvious that the news is not fake,” another user commented.
“It happened one time to me in Kodaikanal where I got into a narrow passage downhill and had to use all my reversing skills to get back on the road. Google Map is not to be trusted in the hills,” the third user reacted.
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